Anthony Breznican (born 1976) is an American journalist and novelist who currently writes for '' Vanity Fair''. He is the author of the 2014 novel ''Brutal Youth'', about first-year students dealing with bullying at their Catholic high school. Breznican has also written about personal memories of

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...

and

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

of ''

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' deb ...

.'' He lists his favorite movies as ''

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

and

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

.''

Career

Anthony Breznican, is a film journalist and is currently the Senior Hollywood Correspondent for ''Vanity Fair''. Previously, he spent eight years as a senior staff writer for ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'', six years at ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' and seven years at the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

. He specializes in covering tentpole franchises such as Star Wars,

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

, and DC. Breznican also had his own

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...

show for six years, "Behind the Scenes with Anthony Breznican," Sirius XM 105, EW Radio, every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Eastern. His writings have also appeared in The New York Times, CNN, Essence Magazine, Playboy Magazine, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, and more. Breznican had the Vanity Fair June 2022 cover story,
Star Wars: The Rebellion Will Be Televised
', shot by famed photographer, Annie Liebovitz. He has written notably about personal remembrances of

and

of ''

'', following the deaths of Hoffman and Rogers. In June 2014 he published a novel, ''Brutal Youth'', with the Thomas Dunne imprint of

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

. Author, Stephen King offered a quote for the book's cover saying, "If you thought high school was hell, has Anthony Breznican got a story for you..." Set in a small mill town in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, ''Brutal Youth'' tells the story of three freshman students at St. Mike's Catholic School - Peter Davidek, Noah Stein, and Lorelai Paskal. The trio are trying to survive their first year at the school, which is known for its extreme hazing and bullying from the upperclassmen. ''Brutal Youth,'' inspired by events from Breznican's own childhood, was praised by Kevin Nance in ''USA Today'' as being timely "in this era of heightened consciousness about bullying and its occasionally horrific consequences on high school and college campuses." Nance called it a "bluntly effective

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

" and "crackling good entertainment." Reviewing the novel for '' Library Journal'', Jan Blodgett said "Breznican captures a perfect balance of horror, heartbreak, and resilience" in his depiction of a

Catholic high school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

fraught with hazing.

Personal life

Breznican grew up in

New Kensington, Pennsylvania New Kensington, known locally as New Ken, is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is situated along the Allegheny River, northeast of Pittsburgh. The population was 12,170 at the 2010 census. History Like much of Westmoreland Cou ...

and attended the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

. He is married with two children and lives in Los Angeles.

Works

* ''Brutal Youth'' (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2014)
"The night Philip Seymour Hoffman changed my life ..."
''Entertainment Weekly'', February 6, 2014
"Remembering Mr. Rogers, a true-life 'helper' when the world still needs one"
''Entertainment Weekly'', May 23, 2017

References

External links

Anthony Breznican official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breznican, Anthony 1970s births 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American novelists Living people Novelists from Pennsylvania People from New Kensington, Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh alumni Writers from Los Angeles Vanity Fair (magazine) people Year of birth missing (living people)